What Is Postoperative care?

Postoperative Care is the type of care given after a surgical procedure. The type of postoperative care you will receive will depend on the type of surgery you have had, alongside your general overall health – often including wound care, pain management, and day-to-day support at home. This begins in the hospital and then can often continue after you’ve been discharged and returned home.

Your doctor should give you comprehensive instructions before you’re discharged regarding what to expect upon returning home, and there is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in every area who can be called on for advice and help with all your medical needs. But it’s also important to ask questions or to have someone ask questions on your behalf if necessary. Useful questions to ask can include things like:

• What medications or other supplies will I need when I go home?
• Will I need the support of a caregiver or physiotherapist at home?
• How can I aid my recovery? Are there things I should do or avoid?
• How long will it take for me to be fully recovered?

It may be difficult for doctors to answer the last question as the body’s ability to recover will depend on many factors, yet they may be able to give you an approximation based on how much support you have in place and previous levels of health, for instance.

Postoperative Care at home

Depending on your circumstances, postoperative care can be carried out mainly at home for some minor procedures that don’t require a hospital stay, which is also known as outpatient surgery or day care. If you are required to stay in the hospital for a period of time, after a more serious procedure, for instance, the beginnings of your recovery will be as an inpatient and then often continue when you are at home.

In either circumstance, Care-Plus Healthcare Services are well placed to support you, as you will be fully assessed upon discharge, and our experienced home carers will follow hospital recommendations and your personalized support plan to ensure your recovery proceeds as planned.

Postoperative care services

Being in as good health as possible before you have surgery can make a big difference to your recovery following surgery, although that can sometimes be difficult if you’re having a surgical procedure due to an ongoing illness or condition. Prior to having your surgical procedure, you should be aware of what support needs to be in place when you leave the hospital and you should always endeavor to have that organized in advance.

However, that isn’t always possible, and sometimes emergency homecare needs to be arranged so that your recovery can continue as soon as you arrive back home. Fortunately, Care-Plus can have a carer in your home within 24 hours, so if you are being discharged quicker than you anticipated or your circumstances have changed, we will be able to support you from the moment you arrive home.

How to arrange postoperative care

If you would like to discuss post-operative care for either yourself or a loved one, please talk to our friendly and knowledgeable customer care specialist team today. They are available seven days a week for your convenience, or alternatively, you can contact us via our website, and we’ll be happy to call you back.